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I gave my villain a pet cat and now my story is about the cat
I was stuck on a fantasy novel draft where the dark lord felt flat, so on a whim I wrote a scene where he adopts a stray kitten from a ruined village. I figured it would add a tiny bit of depth, but now three chapters later, the plot has completely shifted to focus on the cat's journey home. My critique group said they're way more invested in the cat than the war! Has anyone else had a small character detail totally hijack their plot?
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simon_chen5mo ago
Wait, so the cat is trying to get back to the evil dark lord? @nathang67 is right, that's the good part.
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the_lee3mo ago
Honestly, if the cat gets back to the dark lord before the heroes finish their quest, then the real villain is whoever slows that cat down. Ngl, I'm fully rooting for the kitten now.
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nathang675mo ago
Honestly that bit about the cat's journey home is the real story now. Tbh if your whole group cares more about the cat, you didn't hijack the plot, you just found it. Ngl the dark lord with a kitten is a good detail, but the cat trying to get back to him is a great plot. You should follow that.
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